Film record cards and method for making same



Sept. 27, 1966 E. P. KOLLAR ETAL 3,274,722

FILM RECORD CARDS AND METHOD FOR MAKING SAME Filed Dec. 10, 1963 45 11 6 10 l1n an 5 5 DH l] FIG. 6 FIG. 8 ERIQ g' Q QgLLAR 30 LEWIS e. .TAFT

United States Patent Ofiice 3,274,722 Patented Sept. 27, 1966 3,274,722 FILM RECORD CARDS AND METHOD FOR MAKING SAME Ernest P. Kollar, Vestal, and Lewis G. Taft, Endwell,

N.Y., assignors to International Business Machines Corporation, New York, N.Y., a corporation of New York Filed Dec. 10, 1963, Ser. No. 329,413 3 Claims. ((31. 40-158) This invention relates to film record cards in which individual microfilm sections are mounted and the method of making the same.

It is well known to mount film sections or other transparencies for filing, projecting and other purposes by employing a card having an aperture therein to receive the film section, and adhesively securing said film section to a transparent or opaque adhesive coated sheet which is secured to one surface of the card and extends across the aperture. In the case of an opaque adhesive sheet the latter is provided with an opening smaller than the card aperture to expose a portion of the film section and permit light to be transmitted therethrough. It also has been proposed to utilize a card having an aperture therein and an embossed recess in one surface thereof surrounding said aperture, in which recess the film or adhesive sheet may be placed and secured so that the outer surface of said film or sheet is even with or slightly below the surface of the card.

The use of mounting sheets has been necessitated by the fact that no portion of the mounted film insert should project beyond the card on either side so that the cards may pass through record controlled machines without the film inserts getting caught and torn loose coupled with the fact that the thickness of the cards commonly used in card handling machines is only .007 inch while the thickness of the film may vary from the thickness of diazo film which is approximately .003 inch to the silver halide film thickness of .005 to .0055 inch. Additionally, allowance must be made to take care of the thickness of the adhesive substance used to secure the film. It can be seen then that for straight-forward mounting of a silver halide film insert onto an adhesive coated shoulder, it becomes necessary to compress the cardstock surrounding the aperture to a depth of .006 inch leaving a shoulder of .001 inch thickness. As a practical matter, it has been found that it is impossible to compress the present standard cardstock, which has a basis weight of 99 pounds per 3000 square feet and a thickness of approximately 0.007 inch, to a depth sufficient for the insertion of film having a thickness of at least 0.0025 inch without deforming or pushing out the reverse side of the card. This is because the density of the compressed portion would then exceed the density of solid cellulose.

In view of this major problem relative to the complessibility of cardstock, as was mentioned, use has been made of an apertured mounting sheet of pressure sensitive or heat sensitive adhesive material secured to a compressed shoulder surrounding the card aperture, which shoulder need only have a depth of approximately 0.0015 inch. A narrow section of the sheet extends into the aperture with exposed adhesive thereon for subsequent mounting of a transparency in the aperture which has a depth of 0.0055 inch. However, it was found that these prior mounts have the disadvantages that they are expensive and difiicult to manufacture and require expensive machinery. Additionally, they are a prepared mount requiring the user to stock a quantity of the .same for subsequent use and to be dependent upon the supplier. In an attempt to eliminate the need for using separate mounting sheets, proposals have been made whereby the film insert is secured wholly within the card aperture without the aid of an adhesive coated sheet or an embossed recess in the card. The film insert is positioned centrally between the opposite plane surfaces of the card and an adhesive substance is confined wholly within the aperture and bonds the peripheral edge of the film to the peripheral edge of the aperture. The main difficulty encountered With this type of card is that it utilizes an insutficient bonding area and the film insert subsequently becomes loose. Other proposals have suggested the use of a card having an unshouldered aperture with the periphery of the aperture provided with notches filled with an adhesive substance which is caused to flow and 'bond 21 film insert positioned in the aperture. Here again, it was found that an insufiicient bonding area was used and the film insert was not effectively held.

In overcoming the shortcomings of the above prior art, the present novel card not only eliminates the use of a separate mounting sh'eet but it also employs a novel method of bonding the film insert wholly within the card aperture whereby a greater area of adhesive bond is provided which results in the film insert being held much more securely. In one embodiment, the card is provided with an aperture and a recess in one surface of the card surrounding the aperture. A film insert which is smaller than the card aperture and thinner than the cardstock is positioned within the aperture with its emulsion side flush with the reverse or unrecessed side of the card. A bead of heat sensitive polymer or thermoplastic material is then placed around the aperture so that it overlies both the recessed shoulder of the card and the marginal edges of the film insert. Application of a heated platen die melts the bead forcing it to flow onto the recessed shoulder, onto the edge portions of the film insert, and down into the space between the peripheral edge of the card aperture and the peripheral edge of the film. The polymer bead is essentially molded into a closed-loop frame having a T-shaped cross-section and which is very eifective in securing the film insert within the card a-perture and between the opposite plane surfaces of the card due to the increased area of the adhesive bond which extends around and over the edges of the film.

In a second embodiment of the present invention, the polymer head is molded so that the resulting frame extends down between the peripheral edge of the film and the peripheral edge of the card aperture and over the edge portions on both sides of the film, the film being located somewhat centrally between the opposite plane surfaces of the card. In still another embodiment, both surfaces of the card are provided with a recessed shoulder surrounding the aperture and a polymer head ismolded around the edge portions on both sides of the film insert and onto the recessed shoulders on both sides of the card and also into the space between the film and the card aperture.

Accordingly, a principal object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved card of the type described wherein a film insert is secured between the opposite plane surfaces of the card without the aid of an adhesive coated mounting sheet.

A further object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved method for producing film record cards of the type set forth above, which method involves the molding in place of a film insert.

A still further object of the present invention is to provide a novel and improved card of the type described wherein a film insert is secured within the card aperture by a frame of molded polymer or thermoplastic material, said film lying between the opposite plane surfaces of the card.

The foregoing and other objects, features and advantages of the invention will :be apparent from the following 9 more particular description of preferred embodiments of the invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

FIG. 1 is a plan view of one form of film record card constructed in accordance with the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an enlarged secional view diagrammatically illustrating one Way in which the aperture in the card having the shouldered margins may be formed.

FIG. 3 is .an enlarged sectional view illustrating the positioning of a bead of polymer or thermoplastic material around the aperture so that it overlies both the shouldered portions of the card and the marginal edges of the film.

FIG. 4 is an enlarged sectional view diagrammatically illustrating the manner in which the film and polymer bead are molded into place.

FIG. 5 is an enlarged section view taken on line 55 of FIG. 1.

FIGS. 6, 7 and 8 are enlarged sectional views similar to FIG. 5, but illustrating additional modifications of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 1, 10 indicates an oblong single ply card which is formed of cardboard or heavy relatively still paper material and may be of the same shape and size in all dimensions as the cards commonly employed in connection with known statistical, tabulating and record card sorting systems and machines. The card 10 is provided at a selected position with an aperture 11 extending therethrough and the portions of the card surrounding the aperture are rabbeted or shouldered as at 12. The aperture 11 is of a selected size to receive therein a record bearing sheet or film insert 13. It will be understood that the size and shape of the aperture 11 may be varied as desired to receive other types and shapes of inserts. The film 13 is died out or cut to the same shape of the aperture but to a smaller size so that when the film is inserted in the aperture thre will be a space between the peripheral edges of the film and the peripheral edges of the aperture.

The aperture 11 and shouldered portions 12 advantageously may be formed simultaneously by a punching and pressing ope-ration as indicated in FIG. 2 wherein an anvil 14 is provided with an opening 15 of the exact size of the aperture 11 in the card. A punching and compressing die 16 is adapted to be reciprocated toward and away from the anvil 14 and has a punching-die portion 17 of the same shape as the opening 15 and of a size such that it just will pass through the opening 15 in the anvil. The die 16 is provided with compression shoulders 13 of such width and shape as to form the shouldered portions 12 surrounding the aperture in the card. For cards constructed in accordance with the present invention, it is only necessary to provide a shoulder having a depth of approximately 0.0015 inch leaving the thinner web sec tion 19 of cardstock surrounding the aperture with a thickness of approximately 0.0055 inch. It will be understood that the shouldered portions 12 need not necessarily be formed by compression. If desired, they may be formed by a suitable grinding or shaving operation.

After the shouldered aperture has been formed, the card is placed on a suitable support 20 and the film insert 13 inserted in the aperture 11 with its emulsion side preferably down and flush with the unshouldered side of the card as shown in FIG. 3. As was mentioned, the film insert is smaller in size than the aperture so that there will be a space between the peripheral edge of the film and the peripheral edge of the aperture. The thickness of the film insert may vary from approximately 0.003 inch, which is less than the thickness of the web portion 19, to approximately 0.0055 inch which would correspond with the approximate maximum thickness of the web portion 19. Next, a bead of polymer of thermoplastic material 21 is placed around the aperture in closed-loop fashion such that it overlies both the shouldered portions 12 of the card and the marginal edge portions of the film insert 4 13. In the embodiment shown, the aperture and film insert are rectangular in shape and therefore the thermoplastic =bead 21 will be formed as a closed-loop rectangu- 4 lar frame. The head may be formed in any closed-loop configuration depending on the configuration of the aperture and the film. The polymer material 21 may be any suitable thermo-forming plastic material having adhesive qualities which will melt and flow upon the application of heat and which will set or harden upon removal of the heat. Examples of polymers which may be easily molded and which will provide an excellent bonding material for holding the film insert are: polyethylene, polypropylene, polyamides, polyacetates, phenoxy, polyvinyl alcohol, polyvinyl chloride, polyvinyl acetate and copolymers. The polymer bead or frame may be sliced from preformed chunks and placed around the aperture or it may be formed around the aperture by nozzle means, or the like.

To bond the film insert securely to the card and assembly shown in FIG. 3 is subjected to the action of a reciprocating die 22, as shown in FIG. 4. The die 22 has edge portions 23 of a size and configuration conforming to the polymer head or frame used and is heated by a suitable electrical coil 24. The bottom surfaces of the edge portions 23 of the die have a tapered recess 25 for controlling the flow of the polymer bead.

When the heated die 22 is moved down and pressed against the polymer bead 21, the head is melted and forced to flow onto the shouldered portions 12 of the card, onto the marginal edge portions of the film insert 13, and down into the space between the peripheral edge of the film and the peripheral edge of the card aperture, as shown in FIG. 5. When the die is removed, the molded polymer will very quickly set and bond the film insert securely to the card and between the planes of the opposite faces of the card. The molded bead illustrated in FIG. 5 takes the shape of a closed-loop rectangular frame each leg of which has a somewhat T-shaped cross-section. The amount of polymer which will be allowed to flow onto the edges of the film is controlled by the inner vertical walls 26 of the tapered recesses 25.

In essence, the above procedure is a molding in place operation with the film insert 13 being bonded around the marginal portion of one surface as well as around its peripheral edge. The temperature and pressure of the die 22 will, of course, vary according to the particular polymer used and the size of the bead desired. The temperature may fall in the range of from 200 to 400 degrees F. and the pressure may vary from 20 to 600 p.s.i.

FIGS. 6 and 7 illustrate other types of molded formations which could be used to secure a film insert. In the card 27 of FIG. 6, the film insert 28 is positioned a little further up into the aperture and the polymer bead is molded so that the resulting frame 29 extends all the way down between the peripheral edge of the film and the peripheral edge of the card aperture and over the edge portions on both sides of the film to give even a greater area of bond. In the card 30 of FIG. 7, the aperture is provided with surrounding shouldered portions 31 on both sides of the card and the film insert 32 is positioned centrally between the opposite plane surfaces of the card. The molded frame 33 extends around the edge portions on both sides of the film insert and onto the recessed shoulders on both sides of the card and also through the space between the peripheral edge of the film and the peripheral edge of the card aperture.

The modification illustrated in FIG. 8 is particularly useful where it is desired to provide the customer with a preformed card which is unapertured so that the customer may machine process the unapertured card and then mount the desired film insert. Such a card is indicated at 34 and it is provided with a ground or embossed trench-like depression 35 which extends around the outline of the aperture to be formed in the card. The aperture to be formed in the card is preferably similar in configuration and larger in area with respect to the film insert to be mounted. The trench-like depression 35 is completely filled with the polymer material 21, as shown, and the card is now ready for shipment to the customer.

When it is desired to mount a film piece, the customer dies out the portion of the card bordered by the inner peripheral edge 36 of the polymer bead 21, using suitable apparatus such as is shown in FIG. 2. Then a film insert which is smaller than the aperture is positioned within the aperture and the heated platen apparatus of the type shown in FIG. 4 employed to mold the polymer into a closed-loop rectangular frame each leg of which has a somewhat T-shaped cross-section to effectively secure the film to the card. The completed card and film assembly will be identical to that shown in FIG. 5, the only difierence being that a different method of manufacture and assembly is used to facilitate mounting of the film by the customer. In this method the customer has an unapertured card that he can machine process and he does not have to be concerned with the step of depositing a polymer bead on the card.

While the invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to preferred embodiments thereof, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that the foregoing and other changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention.

What is claimed is:

1. A film record card for use in card record systems comprising:

a card having an aperture therein with the edge portions of the card surrounding the aperture being shouldered;

a film insert positioned within said aperture and having a thickness which is less than the thickness of said card, said insert being substantially of the same shape as the shape of the aperture and being smaller in size than the size of the aperture so as to leave a space between the peripheral edge of said insert and the peripheral edge of the card aperture; and

a molded closed-loop frame of polymer material having a T-shaped cross-section for securing said insert to said card, said frame of polymer adhesively contacting the shouldered portions of the card, the marginal edge portions of one face of said insert and the peripheral edges of both said insert and card aperture with said polymer frame lying between the opposite faces of the card and the other face of said insert lying substantially in the plane of the adjacent face of the card.

2. A film record card for use in card record systems comprising:

a card having an aperture therein with the edge portions of the card surrounding the aperture being shouldered;

a film insert positioned within said aperture and having a thickness which is less than the thickness of said card, said insert being substantially of the same shape as the shape of the aperture and being smaller in size than the size of the aperture so as to leave a space between the peripheral edge of said insert and the peripheral edge of the card aperture; and

a molded closed-loop frame of polymer material having an H-shaped cross-section for securing said insert to said card, said frame of polymer adhesively contacting the shouldered portions of the card, the marginal edge portions of both sides of said insert and the peripheral edges of both said insert and card aperture with said insert lying between the opposite plane surfaces of said card and said molded polymer frame not extending beyond said opposite plane surfaces.

3. A film record card for use in card record systems comprising:

a card having an aperture therein with the edge portions of the card surrounding the aperture being shouldered on both sides of said card;

a film insert positioned within said aperture and having a thickness which is less than the thickness of said card, said insert being substantially of the same shape as the shape of the aperture and being smaller in size than the size of the aperture so as to leave a space between the peripheral edge of said insert and the peripheral edge of the card aperture; and

a molded closed-loop frame of polymer material having an H-shaped cross-section for securing said insert to said card, said frame of polymer adhesively contacting said shouldered portions on both sides of the card, the marginal edge portions of both sides of said insert and the peripheral edges of both said insert and card aperture with said insert being positioned within said aperture centrally between the opposite plane surfaces of said card and said molded polymer frame not extending beyond said opposite plane surfaces.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,587,022 2/1952 Langan -158 2,633,654 4/1953 Roetger 40-158 3,025,623 3/1962 Hunt 40158 EUGENE R. CAPOZIO, Primary Examiner.

WENCELSO J CONTRERAS, Assistant Examiner. 

1. A FILM RECORD CARD FOR USE IN CARD RECORD SYSTEMS COMPRISING: A CARD HAVING AN APERTURE THEREIN WITH THE EDGE PORTIONS OF THE CARD SURROUNDING THE APERTURE BEING SHOULDERED; A FILM INSERT POSITIONED WITHIN SAID APERTURE AND HAVING A THICKNESS WHICH IS LESS THAN THE THICKNESS OF SAID CARD, SAID INSERT BEING SUBSTANTIALLY OF THE SAME SHAPE AS THE SHAPE OF THE APERTURE AND BEING SMALLER IN SIZE THAN THE SIZE OF THE APERTURE SO AS TO LEAVE A SPACE BETWEEN THE PERIPHERAL EDGE OF SAID INSERT AND THE PERIPHERAL EDGE OF THE CARD APERTURE; AND 